12:02 PM |
Pacific languages in NZ may die
New Zealand is being warned that the Niuean and Cook Island Maori languages will die out unless the government puts more money into supporting them.
New research just published shows that fewer than 5 per cent of New Zealand-born Cook Islanders and less than 11 per cent of New Zealand-born Niueans can speak their indigenous languages.
Samoan and Tongan are doing better, but are both seeing the number of speakers steadily going down.
This month the Ministry of Education stopped producing the Tupu Pasifika series of learner reader booklets in Pacific languages, but Education Minister Anne Tolley says the books have been "paused" while the Ministry looks at what worked best for Pacific Island students, because most of them learnt in English.
Galumalemana Alfred Hunkin, head of Samoan Studies at Wellington's Victoria University, says that while government support is needed, Pacific Island parents in New Zealand also need to make the decision to pass their languages on to their children.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Galumalemana Alfred Hunkin, head of Samoan Studies at Wellington's Victoria University
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pacific islands media association
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aotearoa, new zealand
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